A lot of people in Hollywood say that James Cameron he has the “Midas touch”. He knows how to get people into theaters and money at the box office, and even manages to secure Oscar nominations for his films for quality. Especially when it comes to the day after the (pandemic) two-year period that marked the most severe commercial crisis the film industry has experienced since its inception.

A few days ago it “Avatar: The Way of Water” broke the $2 billion barrier at the worldwide box office, becoming only the sixth film in cinema history to do so. The other five are the first Avatar – with 2.9 billion it’s the absolute top – Titanic, the last two Marvel Avengers and Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Three of the six most commercial films in history are by James Cameron.

But what is the secret of the three-time Oscar-winning director, screenwriter and producer? Initially, probably that he shoots a film every ten or twelve years. Each of his film projects is carefully planned, from what happens in front of the camera to his advertising campaign. Basically, Cameron seems to have an informal but very meaningful “deal” with an audience of all ages that has followed him for decades: “Come and I’ll show you something you’ve never seen before.”

In The Terminator, it was the perfect dystopian allegory, with the perfect combination of practicality and early digital special effects. In Titanic, it was a huge ocean liner that sailed, crashed, broke in two, and sank, all using practical effects and primitive CGI that Cameron masterfully managed to “hide” with his techniques. Titanic will even celebrate its 25th anniversary by returning to theaters on February 9 in a new remastered 3D version.

“Avatar” shows that for a lot of money you can create films that can captivate the viewer into the cinema.

And we’re going to Avatar. In 2009, Cameron first sent us to the fictional world of the planet Pandora, which required (literally) inventions from him and his team in the field of effects and motion capture technology. Thirteen years later, his mission proved even more difficult, as the sequel – the first of three – looked like a reheated meal from the start, trying to squeeze as much money out of an old recipe as possible.

And yet, he did it again. The main plot and politically correct clichés aside, the millions of moviegoers who continue to flock to theaters for his film await a visual marvel that is hard to describe unless you see it with your own eyes. The production of the second “Avatar” cost more than 400 million dollars, not including considerable marketing costs.

Investments by 20th Century Studios (that is, there are now streaming platforms. Disney itself did not hesitate to send large projects right there, without giving them time to “breathe” indoors.

However, Avatar shows an alternate path. One that indicates that high costs (investment, risk) can create cinematic works that can attract the viewer to the cinema, simply because the experience he lives there does not compare to what he has at home. Earlier in 2022, this happened with Top Gun: Maverick (1.5 billion grosses), which, apart from all the nostalgia, offered a real spectacle made with love and attention to detail, and finally collected six Oscar nominations. .